About The Islander. (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2008)
JSlflND€R_ • Dave Barry - 8 • Editorial Back Talk - 20 • Health -14 • Movie Review The Dark Knight- • Pet Page -13 • Pew News -18 Surfin’ the News Published by Permar Publications • P.O. Box 20539 • St. Simons Island, Ga. 31522 • 912-265-9654 • ssislander@bellsouth.net July 28, 2008 Established 1972 Vol 36 Issue 30 SPC OK's new Casino pool • Construction bid opening Sept. 2 By Matthew J. Permar Construction on the new Neptune Park swimming pool on St. Simons Island will likely begin well before the year is out now that Glynn County has approval for the project from the Dept, of Natural Resoures’ Shore Protection Committee (SPC). The SPC works under the aegis of the Dept, of Natural Resources (DNR) and since the DNR’s ‘Shore Protection Juris dictional Line’ runs through the middle of the proposed pool facility, the county is required to have an SPC permit to con struct anything that crosses the line. About 2.5 acres of the almost 10 acre public park fall within the SPC jurisdiction line. Representing the county at the SPC’s public hearing on Thursday, July 24, local archi tect Robert Ussery laid out the plan for Phase I of the Nep tune Park Master Plan. “The components of Phase I,” explained Ussery, “include the swimming pool and pool deck, a putt-putt golf course, a pool house and children’s playground and new, pervious walkways.” Ussery went on to explain that Phase II was back toward the St. Simons pier and Mal- lery St. village area. Phase II, according to Uss ery, is still in the final design stage and includes modifi cations to the street area at the foot of the pier, walkway improvements, a small square with a ‘toddler’ playground and landscaping. The project also includes two crosswalks over the John son Rocks revetment to the beach and maintenance of the revetment itself. Once the hearing was opened to the public for com ment, St. Simons resident and businessman Roland Daniel spoke in support of the proj ect saying, “I appreciate the county’s efforts in the village area and I’m fine with this Turn to Page 7 Neptune Park pool OK'd Medicare cuts funding for local Hospice By Pamela Permar Shierling Hospice of the Golden Isles will lose 9% of its Medicare funding November 1, 2008. The immediate 9% reduction in medicare funding is just the beginning. The balance of the cut, which is another 4%, will be phased in diming the next three years. Total reduction in medicare funding just for the 2008-2009 fiscal year is estimated at $255,000. Full implementation of the pro posed reduction is estimated at $386,000. "This is the largest cut in Georgia," said Hospice Execu tive Director Karen Brubak er, "and almost the largest in the nation. And our operat ing expenses are increasing at 20% per year." While Hospice of the Golden Isles is not free, they do pro vide services regardless of the Turn to Page 5 Hospice funding Kemp brings E2020 to Glynn school system By Matthew J. Permar The Glynn County school system has a new hope for improving graduation rates - Education 2020 or E2020 as it is called in the Egmont St. administration building. Just as School Superinten dent Dr. Michael Bull brought Bull’s Basics and M.A.G.I.C. (Making Achievement Gains in Classrooms) to Glynn County, newly hired Assistant Super intendent for Student Achieve ment Mike Kemp is bringing the E2020 program with him from Gainesville (Ga.) High School, where, as principal, he used it to increase graduation rates from 68% to 81% in 20 months. “I had good success with E2020 at Gainesville High,” Kemp told The Islander last week, “We had one of the high est graduation rates in the state Turn to Page 9 BOE approves E2020 Putting GA back together last Friday, on the Glynn Academy high school campus, T&T House Moving lifted the second story of the 1840s Glynn Academy building onto the first floor. The move was supervised by The Durable Restoration Company of Orange Park, FI. Brumbach Development of St. Simons Island is responsible for putting the old school building, that was returned to the school board by the Brunswick City Commission, back togeth er. "We did the founda tion work and the brick work," said owner and presidentBrad Brumbach. The top of the building sat on I-beams and was slow ly hoisted by two cranes working together. "The top will rest temporarily supported by cribbing until it is aligned with the bottom half then the I-beams will be removed," Scott Schroer of Durable Restoration said. "This building will be rock solid when it is finished." Islander staff photos
